Not a person to write long reviews but this app is totally worth it; at least for now. I’ve only been using this a few days and am highly impressed. Would like to address some of the highlights and respond to some of the negative reviews.
1) This app is not just for Keto dieters. Anyone who wants to eat healthier and track calories, carbs, fat, sugar, etc will find the free version does a great job. I love the scanner!
HOWEVER, BE SURE THE SCANNER BRINGS UP THE CORRECT ITEM WITH THE SAME NUTRIENT INFORMATION AND THEN PUTS THE SAME ITEM IN YOUR DIARY. Sometimes, there is more than one of the same item, which is fine. Just check to make sure nutrient info is correct. It only takes a couple of seconds. Not difficult at all. So far, I’ve only experienced the problem below once.
DEVELOPERS: This morning I scanned Starbucks Pike Place Medium Roast coffee. When scanned, it popped up correctly. When I went to my diary, it was not the Pike Coffee. I deleted and searched for it and used one that has been added by another user. Problem solved.
2) There is a learning curve. The first day, I was very frustrated trying to add/delete food placed in wrong meal, etc. Once you figure it out, it’s a breeze. Before writing a negative review, reach out to support in the drop down menu. As a rule of thumb; I look for critical reviews where the developers often ask the customer to contact them for help. That usually means they want you to have a positive experience.
HINT TO DEVELOPERS: A LEARNING MODULE WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THIS APP. HAVING IT OFFERED UPON FIRST OPENING WOUKD BE HELPFUL AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO ACCESS IT AT ANY TIME.
3) This Carb Mgr app knocks MFP out of the park in terms of UI and what is now offered in free version of MFP. Having been a MFP user for years with the no ads version; the current version is terrible in comparison to years past. Within 1-2 weeks, I installed and deleted MFP app 4-5 times due to frustration and very little benefit from the free version.
4) The free version of Carb Mgr is more than sufficient to obtain information such as carbs, fat, sugar, protein, macros, etc. It even has a circle grid/graph to help you quickly visualize where you stand in reference to your goals. Once again; YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS APP WITHOUT BEING ON A KETO DIET. You can personalize the goals to your needs.
5) The free app has a section where you can have exercise, steps, etc synched from your iPhone (or Android) directly into the app. It will show calories burned as well as deduct them from your caloric goal. With MFP, I was constantly needing to add exercises in old and new version. Just go to settings and tell it what you want synched.
6) Regarding Payments, Auto deduct, etc: on the iPhone; under settings; you can find the apps you have subscribed to under iTunes/Apple Pay. Once You have subscribed to anything; you can see the apps and the price. There is an option to cancel subscription. If you cancel; you will still have access to the paid app until the anniversary date (if you subscribed for a year) or until the end of the month if you subscribed to a monthly plan. If you feel the app has not worked for you and you want a refund, you will need to contact support for the App; not Apple. From what I’ve seen in the developers responses; they are willing to help resolve the problem even if it means you could not use the app and want a refund (of course, I’m sure you can’t use the app for months and then request a refund). You can, however, cancel the subscription from your phone.
7) Paid Version: Currently I am using the free version and really enjoy the benefits. There is plenty of beneficial information where one on a budget would not need the paid version. I would consider paying premium but I see the price as too steep. My app shows the cost of a yearly subscription as 39.99. Should the price drop and purchase of renewal remain the same once subscribed; I would likely purchase.
On the App Store, there were different pricing options but that is not seen within the app. Or, I have not run across it. It would be nice to be able to purchase items individually.
That noted; the yearly premiums are usually the best priced. However, I could see someone purchase premium for a month just to see if it is beneficial and then cancel before 24 hours of renewal to avoid paying for another month (or for a year) and finding it is not what you want.
8) VERY IMPORTANT: If you want to try the app; even if you are using the free version: set up an account. If you do not set up an account with username and a password; you will likely lose your information if you decide you want to go premium at a later time. Also, if your phone crashes, or just dies, you may still lose your information. This is a very common problem with any apps downloaded where user is anonymous.
9) My problem has always been that I forget to eat; then I’m hungry at night but still get way below the needed calories. My body thinks it’s being starved (which it is) and no matter how much I exercise, there is no weight loss.
So far, this has helped me keep track of what I’m eating., amounts, nutritional info, etc. There is an option to remind you to eat. It includes my exercise and deducts calories automatically.
DEVELOPERS: One negative: when I chose allow notifications; in one day there were 43! That is just too much. Not sure if I can control what notifications are allowed. I simply turned it off to save battery and an abundance of info; most of which I could not even locate/identify the specific notifications.
10). Overall, this is a 5 STAR ⭐️ APP. Will be sure to update once I’ve used the app for a longer time. Will note any new positive or negative aspects. Very excited to see if I’m able to drop some weight by eating the proper amount of calories found in the most nutritious foods. Thank you!